Utah Jazz crush Dallas Mavericks to win 10th in a row and gain the upper hand

And Jazz has proven that by playing together they are a force to be reckoned with.

“I really think it’s probably the first time since I’ve been here that I’ve seen so much focus from everyone in this locker room,” said Gobert, who added 20 rebounds, three blocks and three steals. “I really feel like we’re playing for something bigger and we’re on a mission.”

Ahead of the game, Quin Snyder noted that with Mitchell – the team’s most impactful option – in the NBA concussion protocol, the Jazz would simply need to keep doing what they have been, with everyone playing a role.

Mavs coach Rick Carlisle, meanwhile, noted that given the way the Jazz played during their winning streak, they were in a good position to overcome the All-Star’s absence: “It’s a team that is really related … can lose a player like Mitchell for a game and survive it.

Utah did more than survive – they completely dominated, with the final score only squeezed by a botched fourth quarterback that only allowed them to manage 16 points.

Ingles, who not only shed his reluctant shooter skin by aggressively throwing 11 shots beyond the arc (making seven), but also racked up eight assists, including a pair of third quarter lanes -oops, said what stood out to him. in these last 10 games, Utah has combined hunger and humility.

Clarkson, considered a ruthless chucker for much of his career before being traded to Utah, agreed with his teammate.

Although he propelled the first-half attack in Mitchell’s absence, scoring 22 of his 31 points before the break, he noted that there was no feeling in his mind that he had to step up offensively, that he had to break out of the norm in to fill the void.

The plan was to stick to the plan.

“I played similar minutes to what I’m used to playing, in positions similar to what I’m used to. The roles didn’t change – we just had to keep playing in our system and keep doing what we’re doing. Said Clarkson. “… Here’s just a different vibe; everyone knows their role and everyone is happy for each other. It’s almost like we get happier when we kick our teammates than when we score the ball, to be honest with you. It’s just a crazy feeling, a crazy vibe that we have, that we appreciate that the ball doesn’t stick.

This collective effort was evident against the Mavs in a myriad of phases of the game.

Sometimes it was Ingles and Gobert or Mike Conley and Gobert who took Kristaps Porzingis and the Dallas defense into oblivion. At times Clarkson, Niang, Morgan, Conley and Oni would confuse the Mavs with a well-executed zone defense on one possession, then annoy them with impeccable man-to-man switches and spins next.

The end result was that, even on a night when the Jazz had a good, if not epic, 16 for 41 from 3 points, they had more than enough firepower at both ends of the court to roll past Dallas – simply by lapping it up. virtue of each doing what was asked of him.

“They’re really doing the same things that they’ve done in the season – just doing them more because they were more in the game,” Snyder said. “Everyone played collectively. It was those guys tonight and it stood out because Donovan and Fav were out, but these guys have been doing the same thing lately in a lot of games. The balance we have is one of the strengths of our team. … It’s nothing they do consciously. They just play the game, play together. “

What’s impressive is knowing that they had the best record in the league thanks to their victory and that the Lakers’ loss to Philadelphia didn’t impress them.

They don’t care what other people say or think about them. They absolutely don’t care how they rank in anyone’s power charts. All that matters is to keep improving, to keep focusing on themselves, knowing that there is always another opponent to come.

“We try to find discrepancies, we play the right way, we are disinterested, we defend. … So yeah, it’s been fun, but we’re not happy, ”said Ingles. “We’re not going to be outmatched on a win or 10 in a row or whatever. We will go in tomorrow and prepare for the next one.